We ran a work experience week for 16 Marylebone Boys School students aged 14–15, to inspire them into careers in construction.
The aim of the work experience programme was to encourage industry awareness and show students how many different job roles are available in construction. Throughout the week, students participated in tasks around estimating, planning and design, to put their current skill set into action and see what areas of construction they enjoyed.
Teams in our Farringdon office volunteered to teach the boys about different stages of construction:
- Our pre con team taught them about estimating and budgeting.
- Our digital and interior design teams emphasised how planning their space impacts people using the building.
- Our sales and marketing team prepared them for pitching their projects, and, in addition, supported them through CV workshops and mock interviews.
Putting what they had learnt into practice, the cohort worked in a team to cost, plan, design and pitch their idea for a £30M school.
As a result, 80% of students said the programme exceeded their expectations, with the Maylebone Boys School Headteacher adding that students returned to school confident and motivated.
“It was amazing to see the student's progression in just one week,” Shannon Kerrigan, Trainee Social Value Manager at Willmott Dixon Interiors said. “You could see their interest accelerate as the week went on, with groups working on tasks through their breaks and asking lots of questions. A couple of students are already in the process of planning their second placement. We have caught these students at an exceptional moment within their educational growth, as they transition from getting ready for GCSEs to looking at next steps. The support of our teams has impacted this, by motivating students through the never-ending opportunities available and inspiring them with their personal career paths stories.”
